ST LOUIS, MISSOURI: A doyen Washington University professor was fired from his post after sharing a post on X where he criticized Hamas' heinous crimes over the weekend that was denounced by Islamic groups as a call for “ethnic cleansing.”

Geneticist Seth Crosby referenced Israel’s retaliation for the Palestinian militant's shocking terror incursions last week in an exchange with another user.

What did Seth Crosby say?

Crosby, who worked in the St Louis college’s school of Medicine for several decades, called Israel’s strikes in the Gaza Strip “a much needed cleansing, yes, but not an ethnic one. Israel is not targeting humans.”

The professor's remarks immediately drew unwanted attention from several Muslim advocacy groups which said Crosby was dehumanizing Palestinians as a whole.

“It is unconscionable that a professor at a Missouri institution of higher education would allegedly call for the ethnic cleansing of any population and would seek to dehumanize the target of that crime against humanity,” said CAIR-Missouri Board Chair Yasir Ali, according to New York Post.

“We urge Washington University to investigate this troubling incident and to take appropriate action,” Ali added.

Seth Crosby later clarified his post

Crosby later posted that he was only referencing Hamas and its membership and not Palestinians in general.

“I am so very sorry for the anger I have caused by my clumsy words,” he wrote, adding “Israel is targeting Hamas, an organization which has taken the life’s of thousands of Israeli citizens. I did not intend to imply that the deaths of the Palestinian people was in any way acceptable.”

School officials deny that Seth Crosby was terminated

Crosby posted that he had been fired by the university on Saturday, October 14, saying he had “destroyed himself” before deleting his account.

While school officials refused to comment on Crosby's post, they denied that he had been formally terminated.

“The opinions he has expressed as an individual do not represent the university’s position,” spokesperson Julie Flory told Newsweek, adding “We are following up as appropriate, according to our policies and processes.”

Flory said she could provide no further information when asked if he had been sacked.

Interestingly, Crosby’s name and title appeared on the school’s website as of Tuesday, October 17, but his picture and bio had been removed.

According to his now deleted LinkedIn profile, Crosby spent almost 20 years at the university and most recently served as director of research collaborations for the Department of Genetics.

The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israeli forces has created quite a rift in American universities with students and staff pledging support for Israel clashing with those rallying for the interests of Palestinians living in Gaza.

Hamas' sudden and cowardly attack in southern Israel on October 7 claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, while roughly 200 hostages remain captive in Gaza, according to an Associated Press count.

In retaliation, Israeli strikes have killed 2,778 Palestinians and wounded 9,700, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the wire service reported on Tuesday, October 17.